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My eyes closed ever so gently as I prepared to enter into my daily meditation. I stretched my spine upwards and breathed in deeply. My mind began to wander.

I had concerns about improving my work relationships, influence and about working with a leadership coach. I decided to make an initial appointment, meet face to face and ask questions. I met with a potential coach and interviewed him. I just didn’t see any way around this.

I maintained a focus on the breath – In and out

One of the advantages – I found – of working with a Psychologist who also coached on leadership: Other individuals may want to have 1/2 a dozen individual sessions with their potential coach, for reconnaissance, before signing up for 6-months or more. This approach works with a Psychologist. The “feel” you get should be comforting. They should be very easy to talk with, about the most challenging issues you can imagine, and not merely push you aggressively to set goals and achieve.

Your coach should be able to follow your logic, understand your perspectives, your train of thought, or your worldview. However, don’t expect them to just agree with everything you say, your decisions and actions. If they are not comfortable challenging you, in a respectful manner, you have to ask yourself about their contribution, other than providing support. How will you get any benefit? You should sense an element of “getting something extra.”

Don’t all our relationships include an element of leadership?

I understand that we are not all in a position of a Sr. leader or even preparing for this type of role. You likely have more in common with me than you might realize, however. As you probably know, a Sr. leader must lead a team of pacesetters or VPs. Each one of these leaders is very strong-minded, focused, and believes that their way is not only best but right and often the only way to proceed.

In brief, they offer a personal challenge to anyone who has an eye to influence them, but influence I must. Influencing others by example and through our communications are the purview of leadership. In this regard, because each of us is always communicating and potentially affecting another, we are all leaders.

Not only is communication and influence about leading, Psychological research indicates that expressing ourselves is a critical component to cultivating and remaining happy, being well-adjusted, and enjoying close personal relationships.

So we do have significant overlap of interests. I also desired a more proper understanding of different personalities. In this way, I reasoned, I would be better situated to be able to influence my team, their decisions, and actions.

One thing I have had to deal with is that at times, a VP would say one thing and do another. It is not dishonest. The VP merely appeased me. I did not like it and didn’t think that it was a reliable or efficient practice. However, I am beginning to understand that it is something that occurs between people. In fact, with a leadership mindset, you will be continuously learning new ways of communicating, thinking, planning and relationship building with others.

It is our beliefs that sustain us. It is not a fact that the other VPs had the market cornered when it came to knowledge and experience. Since we are all growing, changing, evolving naturally, almost imperceptibly, one leverage point of influence is to make an effort to learn, understand and then engage with others on their particular level of maturity. The challenge is to know what categorically this means. Could it have to do with being more responsible, more sensitive toward others?

Without some disciplined practice, our leadership is destined to run aground with severe limitations. As has been said, before we can influence others, we must be able to influence ourselves. I like to recommend practices like mindfulness meditation to help us find our zone of best performance.

Consider the continuum

It always has two ends. Often we talk about or utilize a continuum to symbolically represent a natural transition from one point to another. Begin with where we’re at and end up in a more desirable position.

Movement along the continuum can start and stop between any two points, and movement can be in either direction. Psychology has taught me a valuable lesson that I like to share. I often encourage myself and others to use the continuum to accept themselves at point “A” and to practice moving toward a point of desire, point “B.”

For example, I acknowledge my introverted nature and simultaneously put effort into learning and practicing more extroverted skills. Or, it can be very enjoyable to have high energy, and it is also very effective to be able to regulate our high energy levels downward, especially in situations involving conflict. One final example is to allow that people appease me at times, and simultaneously learn to understand and communicate in a transparent and delicately caring manner in response.

Stay calm and remain focused

Communication and influencing others through our example is the purview of leadership and therefore makes each one of us leaders at any given point in time. Interview others, and they will interview you. Focus your efforts on controlling them and watch them squirm. Seek to learn about them and what motivates them and, well, see what response that generates for you. The tiniest touches or the smallest changes can move us in a very favorable direction. Consider.

As an Executive coach and licensed Psychologist, I assist professionals, individual entrepreneurs, and corporate clients with interests and challenges related to personal and professional leadership. Posts reflect client concerns and actions.
You don't need to be an executive to secure coaching for yourself, but you should have a degree of ambition.
Strategizing on how your career or life might improve and move forward takes time for reflection, either on your own or through dialogue. Opportunity is required to reflect well upon new and detailed information regarding your strengths and weaknesses. Sound consideration leads to a strategy that produces informed action, which precedes success.
Wear your strengths like a badge of honor, and be cautious of areas you may tend to error in.